Bibliographie sélective OHADA

The thesis analyses how public international law regulates the entry of foreign investors and investments into states. It explores the various legal concepts and techniques to limit the freedom of states to accept investments and regulate their access, employed in different regimes of international law. These are: international trade law – mainly illustrated by the WTO (World Trade Organisation) agreements, in particular, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and preferential trade agreements (PTAs) – and international investment law (IIL) – scattered through a network of bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The thesis concludes that there are signs that the international rules regulating the entry of investments in services are converging in several levels of alignment and treaty making. Convergence means a reduction of non-shared legal and systemic characteristics or an increase in shared characteristics. Several factors support this conclusion: the progressive incorporation in treaties of establishment rights for investors, that is, commitments by states to allow foreign investments under certain conditions; the narrowing-down of investor-state dispute settlement clauses dealing with entry, which makes IIL systemically closer to international trade law regarding dispute settlement; the hidden liberalising power that flows from the broad interaction of the most-favoured-nation (MFN) clauses in the GATS and IIL with entry provisions; and, the incorporation of concepts and techniques from the international trade law world into investment chapters of larger international economic agreements, such as the GATS absolute standard of market access and its system of exceptions and justifications. These converging signs are considered a natural evolution of the rules given that trade and investment sometimes represent complementary market access strategies in the context of global value chains. The thesis suggests that this move towards convergence may bring about more effectiveness to the rules by attaining the goal of investment liberalisation balanced with the safeguard of regulatory space.

Cette thèse analyse la question relative au cas où, dans l'arbitrage international en matière d'investissements, dont le but principal est l'application des normes visées à la protection des investisseurs, l’État défendeur soutient que l'investissement pour lequel la protection est demandée a été obtenu au moyen d'une forme de criminalité. Dans ce contexte, la défense de l'illégalité soulevée par les État dans les contentieux d'investissement est de plus en plus courante. Cette défense fonctionne selon le schéma suivant : un État hôte enfreint les dispositions de fond que le droit international accorde aux investissements effectués dans un pays étranger, par exemple en expropriant un investisseur étranger de son investissement sans indemnité. Dans le différend qui s'ensuit devant un tribunal arbitral d'investissement, l'État défendeur invoque l'illégalité commise par l'investisseur lors de la réalisation de l'investissement pour se défendre contre la procédure arbitrale intenté contre lui. Le but principal de cette étude est celui de démontrer que des considérations systématiques de nature strictement juridique, aussi bien que de politique juridique, exigent que la défense d'illégalité dans l'arbitrage d'investissement soit strictement restreinte et qu'un tribunal ne puisse décliner d'exercer sa compétence / juridiction que dans des cas exceptionnels. Cette étude aboutit à la conclusion d'après laquelle les tribunaux d'arbitrage devraient plutôt examiner au cas par cas au stade du fond l'ensemble des circonstances soumises devant lui et procéder à une mise en balance appropriée entre les comportements de l'investisseur et ceux de l'État hôte. This thesis addresses the question as to how an investment Tribunal is to react if, in the context of a case brought before it for breach of standards of protection of an investment, the respondent argues that the investment for which protection is sought has been secured by resorting to some form of criminality. Against this background, a defence by the Host State that has become increasingly common is the so-called Defence of Illegality. It operates on the basis of the following scheme : a Host State breaches the substantive provision that international law accord to investments made in a foreign Country, for instance by means of expropriating without compensation the investor's investment. In the ensuing dispute before an investment Tribunal, the defendant Host State raises the illegality committed by the investor in the making of the investment as defence against the breach of the substantive provisions on the protection of the investment, of which it is accused, to avoid responsibility. This thesis intends to demonstrate that both legal and policy consideration dictate that the Defence of Illegality in investment arbitration should be strictly curtailed and that a Tribunal should only decline to exercise its jurisdiction in exceptional cases. Rather, Tribunals should look at the entire set of circumstances at the merits stage and perform a proper balancing test between the conduct of the investor and the Host State.

The need for global financial language gave birth to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The adoption of IFRS has been argues to have changed the manner in which the financial statements are prepared, presented and reported. IFRS represents a single set of high quality, globally accepted accounting standards that can enhance comparability of financial reporting across the globe. The significant disparities between the Nigerian Statement of Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards have resulted in the Statement of Accounting Standards being regarded as outdated and incomplete as an authoritative and internationally accepted guide to the preparation of financial statements. The study however examined the extent to which Nigerian banks have implemented the provisions of IFRS frameworks. The sample comprises of fourteen quoted deposit money banks in Nigeria. Specifically, financial statement figures of 2007 – 2011 (pre-adoption period) and 2012 – 2016 (post-adoption period) were utilized. The study adopted the ex-post facto research design. Annual panel data were collected from the financial statements and accounts of 14 deposit money banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as well from the Securities and Exchange Commission statistical bulletin from 2007 to 2016. The findings revealed that the return on shareholders’ funds has improved since implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on Nigerian banks. IFRS implementation has significant effect on the profitability of quoted banks in Nigeria. The implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has significantly influenced banks’ earnings and it was concluded that IFRS has positive impact on equity and earnings of banks. It was recommended that government and regulatory authorities should organize more quality training to get bankers informed.

This series of two articles provides a comparative overview of the position in the common-law conflict of laws in respect of the contractual capacity of natural persons. The comparative study is undertaken in order to provide guidelines for the future development of South African private international law. Reference is primarily made to case law and the opinions of academic authors. The legal position in the law of the United Kingdom, as the mother jurisdiction in Europe, is investigated in part I. Although Scotland is a mixed civil/common-law jurisdiction, the situation in that part of the United Kingdom is also discussed. Part II will deal with the rules and principles of private international law in respect of contractual capacity in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), North America (the common-law provinces of Canada and the United States of America), Asia (India, Malaysia and Singapore) and Africa (Ghana and Nigeria). Part II also contains a comprehensive summary of the legal position in the common-law countries, followed by ideas for the reform of South African private international law in this regard.

This doctoral thesis deals with the regulation of non-standard employment in Southern Africa: the case of South Africa with reference to several other SADC countries. The growth and presence of non-standard employment since the 1970s has revealed an important concern in a number of countries, both at the global and national levels. The overall significance of non-standard employment has increased in recent decades in both developed and developing states, as its use has grown exponentially across economic sectors and employment. Non-standard employment is the opposite of the standard employment relationship, which is work that is full time and indefinite. Non-standard employment includes an unequal employment relationship between an employee and an employer. Some workers choose to work in non-standard employment, and the choice has positive results. Nonetheless, for the majority of workers, non-standard employment is associated with job insecurity, exploitation, and the absence of trade unions and collective bargaining. Non-standard employment can also create challenges for firms, the labour market and the economy, including society at large. Backing decent work for all entails a comprehensive understanding of non-standard employment and its ramifications. This study explores the regulation and protection of non-standard employment in Southern Africa with focus on South Africa. The study draws on international and regional labour standards, the South African Constitution of 1996, and the national experience to make policy recommendations that will ensure workers are protected, firms are sustainable and labour markets operate well. Social justice and the democratisation of the workplace cannot be achieved if workers in non-standard employment are excluded from the labour relations system.

Trade in Services can be described as a transaction between a supplier and a consumer without any physical movement of goods across international borders. This, in itself, presents major economic growth possibilities in both regional and multilateral terms. Regional trade agreements, if drafted to suit the specific region's strengths, can promote Trade in Services and establish regional integration. The fact that Trade in Services and regional integration, throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) specifically, is moving forward at such a slow pace is due to the lack of political ambition and policy makers failing to emphasise the establishment of trade specific regulatory coherence among member states. Given policy’s impact on Trade in Services, regional trade agreements must be designed to address new and emerging issues that, not only haven't been taken up in previous trade agreements, but which is also region specific and focused enough to build on new standards found in other new trade agreements that will boost regional integration. SADC countries are still in process of establishing a regional services market and, as it currently stands, major development possibilities still exist. This study compares the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with SADC’s Protocol on Trade in Services (PTIS), with the goal to determine the principles that are necessary to establish a regional market for the integration of Trade in Services. It was found that the PTIS lacks such principles and that integration of services throughout the SADC region is highly unlikely if set forth in its current direction. The finding was that the establishment of regional integration of Trade in Services throughout SADC will have to start with regulatory coherence among its members.

Dans le cadre général des regroupements d'entreprises et des groupes de sociétés, cette thèse porte sur des questions d'intérêt à la croisée de la comptabilité, du droit (notamment les dispositions légales et la réglementation comptable) et de la finance d'entreprise. En ce qui concerne la théorie comptable, le chapitre 2 étudie comment les chercheurs en économie d'entreprise ont compris les groupes d'entreprises, les comptes de groupe et le processus de leur préparation, en particulier par rapport aux juristes italiens. Ensuite, le chapitre 3 reconstruit le processus politique et législatif qui a engendré la naissance du concept de groupe de sociétés dans le corpus juridique italien.Concernant le droit et la politique comptable, une analyse comparative est effectuée au chapitre 4qui montre clairement l'évolution de la notion de contrôle et de son utilisation dans les comptes consolidés (comptes de groupe) et les regroupements d'entreprises (I) en droit européen, (II) selon les normes comptables internationales publiées par l'IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) et (III) par rapport aux principes comptables généralement admis aux États-Unis («USGAAP»). De plus, les chapitres 5 et 6 étudient les effets du lobbying sur les normes comptables concernant les états financiers consolidés et les regroupements d'entreprises publiés par l'IASB. Fait intéressant, les résultats concordent avec une forme de capture du normalisateur comptable international par une catégorie d'institutions financières. En effet, confrontées à un modèle de consolidation prétendument basé sur le contrôle, ces dernières ont plaidé en faveur d'une exception de consolidation fondée sur un modèle de propriété et documentée comme ayant été proposée par les sociétés d'audit américaines dans ce contexte au moins depuis 1995. Ce modèle s’avère avoir trouvé un terrain fertile au sein de l'IASB. En conséquence, d'autres catégories d'institutions financières,telles que les fonds d'investissement à long terme et ceux gérés par une famille tout en préférant un modèle de consolidation différent, ne sont plus autorisées à présenter des états financiers consolidés. En ce qui concerne la finance d’entreprise, le chapitre 7 analyse les implications de différentes décisions de financement dans un nouveau échantillon de fusions et acquisitions entre institutions financières (banques et assurances) consommées dans le monde entier au cours des deux dernières décennies. En particulier, il étudie (I) la relation entre la méthode de choix de paiement (si le prix est payé en cash, en actions ou une combinaison des deux) et le choix du mode de financement d'un regroupement d'entreprises (y compris les instruments hybrides) et (II) la réaction des investisseurs à l'annonce de la combinaison. En ce qui concerne ce dernier point, l'utilisation de deux tests non paramétriques permet de détecter une relation intéressante entre la réaction du marché à l'annonce et les différents modes attendus de financement de la transaction.

Never was there a time whereby investment dispute settlement came to the forefront of every possible communication outlet, from academia and mainstream news to civil societies and an outright protest of the public. TTIP and CETA brought ISDS to a broad daylight scrutiny in many parts of Europe getting the attention of law and policy makers at EU and national level. The criticisms and anxiety over ISDS relates to divergent interpretation of similar or identical International Investment Agreements (IIAs) provisions that lead to inconsistency and unpredictability of decisions, lack of transparency in investment disputes, lack of independence and impartiality of arbitrators, the elite group of arbitrators, costs, diversions of public money from public goods and services, ‘chilling effect’ on state regulatory powers and bypassing national judicial systems.; With a view to establish and tackle the problem with a meaningful solution to the legitimate concerns and anxieties, the EU, with its competence to conclude the Investment Agreements, attempted to create two mechanisms. The inclusion of Investment Court System (ICS) in newly concluded IIAs and the creation of a multilateral investment court.; This article will assess the three systems together, i.e. the ISDS, ICS, and the multilateral investment court, in terms the pros and cons and attempt to envisage the policy shortcomings or benefits under any of the systems. Jamais il n'y a eu une époque où le règlement des différends en matière d'investissement a été au premier plan de tous les moyens de communication possibles, qu'il s'agisse d'universitaires, de la presse grand public, de la société civile voire d’actions publiques. La TTIP et la CETA ont permis à l'ISDS de faire l'objet d'un examen minutieux dans de nombreuses parties de l'Europe, attirant l'attention des législateurs et des décideurs politiques au niveau européen et national. Les critiques et l'anxiété à l'égard de l'ISDS ont trait à l'interprétation divergente de dispositions similaires ou identiques des accords internationaux d'investissement (AII) qui conduisent à l'incohérence et à l'imprévisibilité des décisions, au manque de transparence dans les différends en matière d'investissement, au manque d'indépendance et d'impartialité des arbitres, à l'élite des arbitres, aux coûts, aux détournements de fonds publics des biens et services publics, à l'"effet paralysant" sur les pouvoirs réglementaires des États et au contournement des systèmes judiciaires nationaux. En vue d'établir et d'aborder le problème avec une solution significative aux préoccupations et aux inquiétudes légitimes, l'UE, avec sa compétence pour conclure les accords d'investissement, a tenté de créer deux mécanismes. L'inclusion de l'Investment Court System (ICS) dans les AII nouvellement conclus et la création d'un tribunal multilatéral de l'investissement. Cet article évaluera les trois systèmes ensemble, c'est-à-dire le SIPDS, le SCI et le tribunal multilatéral de l'investissement en termes d'avantages et d'inconvénients et tentera d'envisager les lacunes ou les avantages de l'un ou l'autre des systèmes.

But de la recherche : déterminer la dépendance des caractéristiques des marques (perceptibilité visuelle, représentation graphique, le caractère distinctif, non-généricité etc.), sur les types généraux spécifiques de capacités intellectuelles et sur les caractéristiques conatives des consommateurs de la population générale, par application de nombreux tests. La recherche a été réalisée sur un échantillon de 206 sujets-consommateurs. Ils ont évalué la qualité des marques de commerce (déposées et refusées) pour différents types de produits et services (TM-1 test). Les sujets ont été testés avec 3 tests cognitifs et 6 tests conatifs. Méthodes quantitatives appliquées : paramètres élémentaires de la statistique descriptive ; corrélation ; analyse factorielle ; analyse de régression multivariée, analyse canonique des corrélations. Les résultats ont indiqué que les variables cognitives et conatives ont des relations statistiquement significatives avec les résultats de TM test (qualité des marques).

The energy industry is a key source of growth stimulation for developing states. This is true not only in terms of economic growth, but also in terms of the transfer of knowledge and skills as well as the provision of employment opportunities. Understandably, developing states are well-disposed towards international investors, and are eager to enter into petroleum investment contracts with the expectation that this will bring the aforementioned benefits to their countries particularly where the host state is less able to act as a provider of such resources autonomously. On a global scale, regardless of their type, all investments face risks. These risks are volatile in nature and reach as the world economy globalises. It is, of course, true that political risk phenomena per se are potentially destructive to all industries. However, it is fair to say that due to its high stakes, the energy industry is more acutely exposed and subject to political risk than most sectors. The purpose of this article is to examine political risk, particularly direct expropriation risk, in long-term energy investment projects. This paper will refer to arbitral decisions with regard to expropriation cases, as well as the valuation techniques applied by the investment arbitration tribunals in unlawful expropriation cases.

The financial development of many Sub-Saharan African countries over the years has not been able to match up with other regions like the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and Pacific, and Europe and central Asia (IMF, 2016). Trade openness has been argued in several empirical literature as a factor that could spur up the level of financial development, although the high levels of trade openness in Sub-Saharan Africa is not contributing much to the desired levels of financial development in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is an indication in literature that trade openness will be more relevant to financial development of economies that have a strong institutional quality. Thus, by using system General Method of Moment estimation technique, this study examined how institutional quality moderates the relationship between trade openness and financial development of Sub-Saharan African economies. The study found that institutional quality enhances the effect of trade openness on financial development of Sub-Saharan African economies. It is therefore recommended that, Sub-Saharan African economies should put in measures to strength their institutional quality so that the high levels of trade openness will better enhance financial development. Specifically, trade openness can better enhance financial development by improving government effectiveness, reducing corruption, enhancing regulatory quality, abiding by the rule of law, and allowing voice and accountability. As an extra benefit, the improvements in institutional quality on their own too will yield positive impact on financial development.

This study evaluated the extent to which value relevance of financial information in Nigerian manufacturing firms has improved after the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Specifically, the study intended to: Ascertain the extent the adoption of IFRS has significantly improved the book value per share of manufacturing companies in Nigeria; Determine the extent the adoption of IFRS has significantly improved the Earnings Per Share of manufacturing companies in Nigeria and Examine the extent the adoption of IFRS has significantly improved the cash flow of manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 54 manufacturing companies was randomly selected from manufacturing companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the periods of 2008-2015. Data for the study were obtained from the annual reports and accounts of the sampled companies. Specifically, a modified price model for detecting value relevance of accounting data for two different periods was employed. Regression Analysis and Chow test statistical tools were used to analyze and validate the data with aid of SPSS version 20.0. The study found that the adoption of IFRS has improved the book value per share, market share price, Earnings Per Share and cash flow of manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The implication of findings is that the value relevance of accounting information of manufacturing companies is more sensitive during Post-IFRS era than the Pre-IFRS era. The findings also imply that the book value per share, market price, earnings and cash flow have become informative to equity investors in determining the value of firms following IFRS adoption. The study recommends among other things that the accounting information for book value per share should be communicated to the investing public; and such information should be of high quality to avoid negative consequences on the part of investors.

A contract involves s a promise between two persons for the exchange of either good or services. A contract signifies the free consent of the parties to the contract to be bound by law. For a contract to be valid, it must have these basic elements: mutual assent, consideration, capacity, and legality. Mutual assent is characterized by offer and acceptance through mutual accent; "consideration," on the other hand denotes any form of compensation with something of value for the goods or services traded. A contract between persons, either natural persons or legal persons, who have no capacity to contract can either be voidable or void depending on the case. Legality gives the condition that should be satisfied for a contract to be excised by the law. Illegal contracts are for example those involving illegal activities. For example one can't bring a plea of damages to a court of law for breach of a contract entered into to kill another person.The possible remedies for breach of contract are; general damages, consequential damages, reliance damages, and specific performance. This paper will examine the capacity to contract as pertains to contracts entered by minors minor's.

This article analyses the regulation of cross-border insolvency under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act 42 of 20001 in order to examine the adequacy of such regulation as regards to the enforcement of insolvency proceedings in South Africa and other relevant jurisdictions. To this end, the paper provides an overview analysis of the regulation and/or enforcement of insolvency proceedings under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act. Moreover, where possible, the paper also provides a comparative analysis of selected aspects of the regulation and/or enforcement of insolvency proceedings under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act and those that are provided under the Insolvency Act 24 of 1936 and other related international instruments. This is done to expose the challenges and future prospects of the regulatory and enforcement framework under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act in South Africa.

Encyclopaedic Corporate Governance (CG) is now a mainstream issue of concern in the business world. Yet, there has been no systematic investigation of CG practices in general, allowing for a distinction between the profit and non-profit organizations. In this regard, this article aims to investigate the nuances in the application of sound governance principles across different types of organizations in general, together with the understanding and applications of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Regulation (CR) in the context of the OHADA zone. With CSR envisages as a model of CG that extends the fiduciary duties from fulfilment of responsibilities towards the shareholders of the firm to fulfilment of analogous fiduciary duties towards all the firm?s stakeholders. Thus, after considering the place of CSR in the debate about alternative CG modes, a full-fledged social contract foundation of the multi-stakeholder and multi-fiduciary model is present. The article, therefore, shows that CSR is a social norm that would endogenously emerge from the stakeholders? social contract seen as the first move in an equilibrium selection process that reaches the equilibrium state of a CG institution; and as a global trend involving corporations, states, international organizations and civil society organizations. Besides, the article portrays the trend of CSR in three ways: as a regulatory framework that places new demands on corporations; as a mobilization of corporate actors to assist the development aid of states and; as a management trend. With each of these portraits suggesting certain actors, relations, driving forces and interests as being central. These multiple identities may partially describe the trend?s success, but could equally well describe its contestation, fragility and fluidity. Based on the argument that CSR is not just a fashion but rather the future from another angle, the article explicitly explores the nexus between CSR, CG and CR as appreciated in the OHADA zone. It also presents fresh insights into the applications of CG and CSR principles under the OHADA perspective that has not received systematic attention and consideration in the literature and, thus, provides policy recommendations to mainstream a viable CSR framework in the OHADA zone.

This paper aims to investigate Corporate Alternative Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution compliance through an appraisal of International Arbitration practices in Project-based Organizations in the Nigerian Construction Industry. In this study, simple percentages and frequencies of occurrence were used to analyse data derived through subject matter interviews and a questionnaire survey. Using the Survey Monkey tool, 85 questionnaires were distributed to key players in the AEC (Architecture-Engineering-Construction) Industry including Engineers, Project Managers, Architects and Quantity Surveyors and 53 were returned complete. The survey indicated that 66% preferred a more private Construction Arbitration to a public Litigation as a preferred method of dispute resolution, with 65% agreeing that a lack of proper project funding hinders the arbitration process in the Nigerian Construction Industry. 66% agree that Arbitration Time contributes more to project delays while 32% believe that Cost of the arbitration process is the greater source of project delays. We recommend that issues of confidentiality be carefully managed in dealing with outside counsels, while Project-based Organisations in Nigeria should ensure to develop master plans compatible with long-term strategies, including setting aside adequate funding for the timely resolution of project disputes through the implementation of only Arbitration-friendly contracts. This paper contributes to knowledge by bringing to bear the current compliance levels of project-based organisations in the practice of Arbitration in the Nigerian Construction Industry.

Whenever legal disciplines overlap interesting scenarios occur and differences in opinions create intellectual tension. One such interesting scenario occurs when employees’ rights are affected during a company’s liquidation or business rescue. The employees of a company are normally the last persons to find out that a company is struggling financially. They are also the only stakeholders who are in no position to negotiate their risk should the company be liquidated. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the rights given to employees during a company’s liquidation and business rescue. The fundamental ideologies of company law, insolvency law and labour law are challenged and examined to attempt a harmonizing result that respects the core of each discipline. It is crucial to determine whether an appropriate balance is struck between the interests of all the stakeholders of the company during these procedures. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether South Africa manages to strike this balance. If employee rights are protected whilst a company is restructured back to solvency and success, this balance will be struck. An evaluation will also be made whether employees are always better protected during business rescue than in liquidation. The study analyses employee rights in a company’s liquidation and during a company’s restructuring process. The comparative study of employee rights in liquidation and rescue is done with the jurisdictions of Australia and England – countries with similar procedures. Important conclusions show that South Africa protects employee rights during business rescue procedures the best. An appropriate balance is indeed struck between the interests of all stakeholders of a company during business rescue procedures and employees are most of the time better off after a restructuring than in a liquidation. Should the recommendations for law reform be implemented in our legislation, South Africa will overcome the few obstacles currently in its way to be seen as a world leader where employee rights are concerned in liquidation proceedings as well as business rescue.

This study was motivated by the quest to find new innovative and practical ways of combating public procurement corruption in developing countries to complement the existing measures. This was achieved by comparing three jurisdictions, Hong Kong-China, Botswana and South Africa. The focus was on how each jurisdiction uses the following four measures to curb public procurement corruption: criminal measures; administrative measures; institutional measures and civil activism measures. It was established that Hong Kong uses what this study has classified as the traditional approach of combating public procurement corruption. The traditional approach is characterised by the use of a separate procurement legal framework and a separate corruption legal framework to curb public procurement corruption. Its strengths are in the strict enforcement of criminal measures that are anchored on a robust legal framework, a clear anti-corruption strategy, an independent anti-corruption agency (institutional measure), effective internal oversight and a strong political will. However, the following weaknesses of the traditional approach were identified: over reliance on criminal measures; excessive dependence on one enforcement institution; it neglects the development of administrative measures and has weak civil activism measures. It was established that Botswana uses what this study has classified as the classical approach of combating public procurement corruption. The classical approach is characterised by a procurement legal framework that incorporates very minimum anti-corruption provisions. The anti-corruption provisions in the procurement legislation are enforced by an external institution (the DCEC in the case of Botswana) which relies heavily on the criminal measures. Its strengths are the following: a strong legal framework which provides for a clear anti-corruption strategy; it has anti-corruption units in each Ministry and it has a dedicated Corruption Court. However, the classical approach has the following weaknesses: the anti-corruption agency is not adequately independent as it under the control of the executive (the President in the case of Botswana); lacks effective internal oversight mechanisms; weak political will; neglects the development of administrative measures and civil activism measures are almost non-existent save for the media. It was established that South Africa uses what this study has classified as the traditional cum silo approach of combating public procurement corruption. The traditional cum approach is characterised by multiple procurement legislation which has certain but minimum anti-corruption provisions and a separate corruption legal framework. Multiple anti-corruption agencies are prone to political interference which renders them ineffective and unfit for purpose. Its strength is in the promotion and protection of civil activism measures (right to access information, right to freedom of speech and legal protection of whistle-blowers). Notable weaknesses of the traditional cum silo approach are: the poor enforcement of criminal measures; there is no lead anti-corruption agency that spearheads and coordinates all cases of public procurement corruption; there is no clear anti-corruption strategy; the administrative measures such as debarment are poorly enforced; it has multiple anti-corruption institutions that lack focus and professionalism which results in political manipulation. The thesis concluded by suggesting a new approach, the contemporary approach to combating public procurement corruption which entails the enactment of a single procurement legislation (model law) the Public Procurement and Combating of Public Procurement Corruption Act (hereafter PPCPPC). The contemporary approach advocates for the regulation of public procurement and the combating of public procurement corruption in one legislation. This legislation (PPCPPC) takes into account, the current demands for public procurement as well as future developments of public procurement. These include but are not limited to self-cleaning, cyber-crime and public procurement corruption as well as the role of foreign convictions for debarment purposes. The envisaged PPCPPC will in addition to regulating public procurement, encompass the best criminal measures, administrative measures, institutional measures and civil activism measures. In addition, the contemporary approach through the PPCPPC proposes two new innovations: the corruption clearance certificate and a mandatory anti-corruption clause in all government contracts.

En vertu des dispositions de l’article 53 Al. 1 du Traité de création de l’OHADA (l’Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires) : « Le présent traité est, dès son entrée en vigueur, ouvert à l’adhésion de tout Etat membre de l’Union Africaine et non signataire du traité. Il est également ouvert à l’adhésion de tout autre Etat non membre de l’Union Africaine invité à y adhérer du commun accord de tous les Etats Parties ». Cette action d’harmonisation du droit des affaires, tout en s’inspirant d’autres législations telles que le droit français et la common law, les Etats-membres de l’OHADA ont à leur disposition un arsenal législatif efficace et approprié à leur développement économique communautaire. Ce droit revêt un intérêt particulier pour les entreprises marocaines actives dans l’espace OHADA. Le Maroc, par le renouvellement de son adhésion à l’Union Africaine (UA) et en procédant à une demande d’adhésion à la Communauté Economique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) dont le but est de « promouvoir la coopération et l’intégration dans la perspective d’une Union économique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest », (le Maroc) a réaffirmé sa détermination d’intégrer les espaces économiques africains de référence

The thesis examines the enforcement of consumer rights in South Africa, and is set against the backdrop of the underlying principles and theories on the enforcement of consumer protection law. It then analyses the various forms of consumer protection law enforcement mechanisms that were in place prior to the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, and sets out why there was a need for the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act. The thesis then critically discusses the consumer protection law enforcement mechanisms introduced and/or catered for by the Consumer Protection Act. The in-depth comparative analysis against the consumer protection law enforcement dispensations in both India and the United Kingdom culminates in a critical analysis of the successes and shortcomings of consumer protection law enforcement regime in present-day South Africa; as well as recommendations (in the form of legislative amendments and practical solutions) on how the South African consumer protection enforcement framework can be improved in order to facilitate the realisation of consumer rights.